A Kind of Spark

Written By: Elle McNicoll

Published: 2021 by Crown Books for Young Readers

Audience/ Grade level: 3-6

Age level: 9-12

Genre: Middle Grade Fiction Novel

Award: Schneider Family Book Award

Suggested Delivery: Read aloud

Summary

11-year-old Addie learns about the witch trials that previously took place in her town, Juniper. She quickly notices the similarities in how those women were treated and how she is treated as a neurodivergent individual. She stands up to her community, advocating for a memorial to honor the witches, discovering her own voice.

Key Words to Describe Book

Authentic, Inclusive, Insightful, Affirming, Educational

Common Core State Standard

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.4.7

Make connections between the text of a story or drama and a visual or oral presentation of the text, identifying where each version reflects specific descriptions and directions in the text.

Key Vocabulary

Diminished: to make someone's worth seem smaller

Clamor: to make a lot of noise

Flounce: to walk in an exaggerated way

Witch: a person thought to have magic powers

Acute: extremely sharp

Malevolent: causing harm

Neurodivergent: an individual with autism

Thesaurus: a type of dictionary with similar words grouped together

Grappling: to fight in order to win something

Teaching Suggestions to Increase Comprehension

Before: Engage in a whole class discussion about neurodivergence to build background knowledge on vocabulary and to aid in comprehension.

Display the video (Fast Facts About Autism For Kids). This video is delivered by children and it involves sharing their experiences living with autism and facts about it.

During: As the class is reading the novel, periodically stop and watch the visual representation of this book, A Kind of Spark, a show on Netflix. Allow students to write about how the show aided in their comprehension of that given chapter / the book overall.

After: Have students write a letter (at least ten sentences) to the author, Elle McNicoll. This letter can be made up of questions posed by students, making a complain / suggestion, or writing about what they enjoyed about the novel. This must be done in proper letter format.

Other Teaching Suggestions

Compare the show and book using a Venn diagrams or comparison chart (similarities and differences).

Extend The Text Before, During, or After Reading

The video below is an interview with author, Elle McNicoll, as she discusses the video version, a show on Netflix, of her book A Kind of Spark. This interview touches upon the fact that McNicoll is also neurodivergent, just like Addie. This Q&A offers an insigt on McNicoll's purpose and inspiration for writing this book and creating the show.

Elle McNicoll's Author Website

Above is Elle McNicoll's author website. It provides details about her brackround / story, awards she has won, and other works of literature she has written. This is a great way for students to be introduced to other novels of McNicoll's and hopefully spark their interest!

A Kind of Spark author Elle McNicoll - "It’s a story of sisterhood, neurodiversity and standing firm in the face of a mob"A Kind of Spark interweaves the past and present in ten action packed episodes full of the joys of friendship, sisterhood, the drama of growing up, mystery and magic

The article above is a great source for students to explore to learn more about the Netflix show, "A Kind of Spark." It provides context, as well as an introduction of all the characters!